The best remedy for midges in an apartment: a potion, a trap or a killer chemical?

This problem can be encountered at any time of the year. Even in winter, small insects can fly and crawl over food, flicker before your eyes, pestering household members and at the same time spreading all kinds of infection throughout the apartment. This is especially dangerous in families with small children. What remedy to use against midges in indoor flowers, how to get rid of them above the kitchen table and throughout the apartment without causing harm to yourself?

Where do midges come from in an apartment?

It’s a paradox, but midges don’t always get to us through the window. For example, where does it come from in winter, and even in an apartment where there are high-quality anti-mosquitoes on the windows?

In fact, there are many ways for insects to get into an apartment. Often we ourselves bring in the larvae of small midges with food from the market or from a store. What are these products? First of all - overripe, damaged, rotten:

• fruits;
• vegetables;
• mushrooms;
• potato.

We use them to bring Drosophila - fruit flies that look like tiny flies - into the apartment. They are the ones who feed on the juice of spoiled fruits.

But even when buying a beautiful indoor flower, you cannot be sure that there are no insect larvae in the soil.From them will appear sciarids - tiny black midges that love high soil moisture. Getting rid of them can be difficult.

We usually do not pay attention to 1-2 passing midges. But the problem is that they reproduce at lightning speed, so soon we will get a whole swarm of midges. Therefore, it is important to buy products in a good store that values ​​its reputation, guarantees quality and complies with all sanitary standards.

But this is not 100% insurance against insects. Indeed, due to their small size, midges may well enter the apartment from neighbors through the sewer or ventilation. And if midges have already appeared, it is necessary to begin the fight immediately.

Deprive guests of food

What attracts midges? The presence in the apartment of places with high humidity and the smell of dampness, fruit, fermentation, rotting. It is in such areas that midges will lay eggs.

Therefore, the first thing they do when midges appear is to identify these foci. For example:

• overflowing trash can with wet household waste;
• fruits (especially uneaten or spoiled ones);
• bedding, tray, feeder with leftover pet food;
• food remains or dirt in sewers, sinks, siphons, toilets;
• dirty aquarium water, rotting algae;
• wet rags, sponges, napkins, mop;
• waterlogged soil of indoor flowers, which leads to rotting of plant parts and molding of the soil itself.

By the way, fertilizing with tea leaves and other organic matter (for example, water with blood from washing meat) can provoke the proliferation of sciarids. To avoid guessing where all the new swarms of midges are coming from, choose safer fertilizer options.

Even if you exterminate insects three times, but do not get rid of their “feeders,” the midges will appear again. It will spread to the rest of the rooms, especially if there is some kind of bait lying around for them.

How to get rid of midges in indoor flowers?

It is important to remember that the fight must be carried out not only with flying insects, but also with their larvae.

How to get rid of midges in indoor flowers? There are methods based on aromas that are unpleasant for midges.

For example, geranium. Its specific aroma is not to the liking of insects. Or tomatoes. By planting them in a pot, we get the same effect. Also, midges do not like the aroma of garlic - you can cut it into slices and put it in pots.

To destroy insect larvae, you need to work with the soil:

• sprinkle the surface with ground pepper;
• stick several matches into the substrate with the sulfur heads down;
• arrange orange peels in pots;
• sprinkle the soil with cigarette tobacco.

If there are too many midges, replace the top of the soil with a fresh layer. Better yet, transplant the plant into a new pot. To do this, take it out, wash the roots and plant it in calcined new soil.

To prevent the reappearance of midges, ensure moderation of watering and loosen the soil more often, not allowing the water to stagnate. And when transplanting, take care of a good drainage system.

How to get rid of midges in the kitchen?

This is where midges cause the most trouble. Firstly, we spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and midges can be annoying, crawling over food, trying to get into the ears, nose or eyes.

Secondly, there are more power sources for them here than in other parts of the apartment. It is enough to leave leftover food, juice or tea, or a dirty rag on the table, and they will be besieged by midges.

Therefore, you must first carry out a thorough cleaning:

• remove food from the table, old tea bags, juice and yoghurt containers;
• take out the trash and wash the trash can;
• disinfect and dry all rags and sponges;
• clean the sink, the siphon under it, the pipes.

Maintain order, then midges will not have a chance to get caught in your apartment, where there is nothing to eat and nowhere to lay eggs.

Now let's get rid of the midges. For example, insect-repellent aromas. A spice such as cloves will work, as will basil or eucalyptus. Midges can't stand them either.

• To smoke out midges from the kitchen using cloves, you need to place 5 grams of the spice in a glass of water and boil this “explosive mixture” on the stove for a couple of hours, periodically adding water.
• You can light an aroma lamp, for example, with eucalyptus - also for 2-3 hours.
• Another option is to heat camphor oil in a frying pan, and then “fumigate” all the rooms of the house with this aroma.

After such “aromatherapy”, it will be necessary to carry out wet cleaning and thoroughly ventilate the entire apartment.

If anyone in your household has asthma or allergies to strong odors, do not use these methods to control midges. Use the methods below.

By the way, the bathroom has conditions similar to the kitchen for the appearance and rapid reproduction of midges in the apartment. It is also important here to monitor the humidity of the air and objects, promptly clean all pipes, sink, bathtub, toilet from dirt and plaque, if the bathroom is combined, and ventilate the room more often.

Chemicals

If for some reason it was not possible to apply simple methods or the midges in the apartment took the position of occupiers, you can use chemicals.The range of them today is varied, so choosing a specific tool will not be difficult.

Aerosols

Aerosols and sprays are products that are toxic to insects and involve spraying. They are usually used to fight flies, wasps, and moths. But they are just as destructive for midges. These are “Dichlorvos” and “Neodichlorvos”, “Raptor” and other aerosols known to most of us.

Before using them, it is recommended to remove all products, remove poultry, fish, and pets from the premises. All household members should also go outside.

The aerosol is used to treat not just the air in the apartment, but also all the far corners and crevices. In this case, the windows and doors of the apartment must be tightly closed to create the conditions of a “gas chamber”.

After the specified exposure time, the premises are ventilated and wet cleaning is carried out, carefully sweeping away fallen midges from all horizontal surfaces and taking them outside. Otherwise, after a few hours the insects will “come to life” and you will have to repeat the procedure.

Repellents

This is a more humane method, aimed not at destroying midges, but at scaring them away: the midges simply leave their favorite place, alive and unharmed. There is no need to literally poison anyone.

In order for the repellent to be effective against insects, it is important to ensure a certain concentration (that is, close the room). Then, when ventilated, the midges will begin to actively leave the uncomfortable space.

Repellents come in a variety of forms:

• creams;
• lotions;
• ointments;
• pencils;
• emulsions;
• aerosols;
• igniting spirals;
• devices that constantly release an active substance (similar to car air fresheners).

It should be understood that pencil or cream shapes are not suitable for large spaces.Here you need aerosols, spirals or similar means that can create a high concentration of substances that repel midges.

To combat midges in an apartment, it is necessary to choose repellents with the safest composition. For rooms such as an attic, basement or garage, more toxic ones are also suitable.

Light traps for midges

With the help of these devices you can fight midges in a physical sense. The traps are ultraviolet radiation lamps with a damaging element in the form of an electric current discharge. That is, a midge, attracted by the light, stumbles upon its source and receives a fatal electrical discharge. Light traps are safe for humans, surrounding animals and plants.

True, such devices also have noticeable disadvantages. They can only be used at night, since during the day midges cannot be attracted by a local light source. In addition, with each discharge of current, a small characteristic crackling sound will be heard. And if there are a lot of insects, then the noise can be quite noticeable.

Fumigators

Another reliable way to remove midges from your apartment is to use fumigators. These are electrical devices whose heating element allows the evaporation of insecticides - substances that are harmful to insects.

Such devices are produced in two types:

• lamellar;
• liquid.

Fumigators are also safe for animals and humans, provided that the room where they are used is ventilated.

Fumigators are usually purchased to combat mosquitoes, but their range of action is much wider.

In plate fumigators, toxic substances are applied to plates that are inserted into a compartment on top of the device and are released when heated.One plate lasts for an average of 10 hours.

With liquid ones, accordingly, when heated, a liquid toxic to midges evaporates. It is attached in a special container to the device from below. This fumigator will last for about a month.

If you have a basement in your house, carefully monitor the integrity of the vegetables stored in it and promptly get rid of spoiled ones. Midges are especially common on rotten onions and carrots.

Folk remedies

If there is no desire or opportunity to purchase special means or devices to combat the infestation of midges, you can use folk remedies. These recipes and tips are easy to implement at home. For example, collect midges using a vacuum cleaner that is turned on, and then clean it outside.

Or try the recipes mentioned above (based on the use of midge-repellent aromas). Or you can build a trap for insects.

Traps

These are quite simple devices, the essence of which is to collect midges on bait in a container from which they cannot escape.

Here are some examples of homemade traps.

• From a disposable glass

You can use a disposable cup or a plastic cup, such as a takeaway coffee or yogurt cup. At the bottom of it they put bait from rotten or fermented fruits and juices. Compotes and jelly are also suitable. But natural apple cider vinegar is especially attractive to midges.

The top of the glass is covered with cling film, in which a tiny hole is made. Through it, midges will get inside, but will not be able to get back out. When the insects gather in the glass, it must be tightly tied with a bag and taken outside the apartment.

• From adhesive tape

Here, in fact, everything has already been invented by the manufacturers of “Velcro” for flies.These tapes are hung in places where midges accumulate. Attracted by the specific smell with which the Velcro is impregnated, midges stick to it much more firmly and easily than flies, since they are much smaller in size and weight.

• Made with milk and black pepper

For such traps, you need to take a glass of milk, add one and a half tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of ground black pepper into it. Soak paper sheets with the resulting mixture and hang them in places where annoying midges are found. Attracted by the smell of sweet milk, insects will stick to the paper, and the pepper will kill them.

• From a glass jar

Place one of the above-mentioned midge baits at the bottom of the glass jar. By the way, the smell of fermentation coming from beer, homemade kvass or homemade wine is also an excellent bait for insects. Roll up a funnel from paper with a height of approximately 2/3 of the depth of the jar. The funnel is inserted into the jar and secured to its edges with tape. The principle of operation is like that of a glass with film: once inside, midges will not be able to get out.

• From a solution with detergent

The point here is for the midges to gather on the bait, fall into the liquid and drown. To do this, pour liquid midge bait into a bowl (any dish, but preferably transparent, so you can see the result). A few drops of dishwashing liquid are dripped onto the surface of the bait, which will create a thin film. It is this film that will prevent insects attracted by the aroma of the bait from flying away.

• From formaldehyde, milk and water

Formaldehyde contains formic acid aldehyde and methyl alcohol. They are the ones who provide the result - they kill the midges. And milk and sweet water act as bait.

Pour about 100 ml of milk into the bottom of the plate, add 20 g of formaldehyde and about 50 ml of sweet water (sugar syrup), add a few pieces of bread. The trap is ready.

Using these tools and devices, you can quite easily rid your apartment of the invasion of annoying midges. But it is much more important to take measures to prevent their reappearance.